


The Queens

by Sugarless



Category: Snow White and the Huntsman (2012)
Genre: AU, F/F, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-06-26
Updated: 2012-07-04
Packaged: 2017-11-08 15:27:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,998
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/444660
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sugarless/pseuds/Sugarless
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Snow White wasn't an only child.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Once Upon A Time

**Author's Note:**

> This is an AU telling of the film based on this tumblr post: http://umakoo.tumblr.com/post/21232378777/positivesarcasm-because-the-evil-queen-totally
> 
> I was originally going to write a one shot fic but this is evolving into some AU world building.

After the announcement of Snow White’s birth, there were celebrations scattered throughout the kingdom. People feasted in her honor and sang songs of days gone by, overjoyed by the arrival of an heir to the throne. The Queen’s deteriorating health was a well-guarded secret from the people. Unaware of the strain the pregnancy had placed on the Queen’s body, the people rejoiced without abandon. The festivities lasted several days and nights before life began to return to its normal pace. 

Although the royal family celebrated, King Magnus had grave concerns for his children. Alexander had by all rights been his first born, but he was of illegitimate birth. Raised in the castle walls, he understood that the throne would never be his. Despite the origins of his birth, Queen Eleanor was always kind to Alexander. After the death of his mother, Eleanor took responsibility for the young boy’s upbringing. She had no reservations on raising him as part of her family.

Magnus, however, feared that Alexander would resent the younger girl for being the rightful heir. She would be raised to be a queen. Her lessons tailored to insure she would one day rule with grace and dignity. Alexander, on the other hand, would be raised to be a lord and diplomat. The King anticipated jealousy from his young son.

To his surprise, Alexander was as enthralled with Snow White as everyone else. He was pleased to have a younger sister to grow up alongside him. As Snow White grew so did the bond between brother and sister. Both children were adored throughout Tabor for their kind hearts and generous nature. From time to time, they did have their squabbles and quarrels. It wasn’t unusual for these arguments to come to a close by the end of the day. It was a rare occasion that anyone had to step in to end the fighting. After realizing the fight had gone too far, it wasn’t difficult to pry apologies out of the children.

The Duke’s son, William, became a point of contention as time wore on. William had become enamored with Snow White, spending most of his time with her. At first, Magnus believed Alexander’s annoyance at the situation was that his friend had less time for him. Eventually the truth of the situation started to settle in. Alexander was unusual affectionate with William and unfortunately his feelings were not returned. There were moments when it strained the relationship between Snow and Alexander, yet they ultimately valued familial love above all else. William was simply a childish love that Alexander would one day outgrow. Snow White was beloved sibling who was to be cherish forever.

King Magnus was greatly relieved by the strength of their bond, especially when the Queen finally succumbed to her illness. The winter of her passing was unbearable cold and bleak. The King’s heart was shattered and his grief insurmountable. Alexander and Snow White found solace in one another during that difficult time. 

The children believed that this would change when Ravenna came into their lives. They warmed up to her quickly when they saw that she had been the one to return that spark of life into their father’s eyes. They now glowed with the warmth and love that they so greatly missed. In their innocence, they had no way of knowing that Ravenna would also be the one to extinguish that light.

Snow White was the one who found their father. The bed was still stained with his freshly spilled blood when she happened upon him. It took little time for her to piece together what had happened. She nor her brother managed to escape that night as William was whisked away to safety by his father, despite his pleas to return to them. The two were locked away as prisoners in case they may prove useful to Ravenna’s needs one day.

It was a decision that Ravenna would one day regret.


	2. Enter the Huntsman and the Rose

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The beginning of this is going to be incredibly familiar, but after the Huntsman shows up it’s going to veer off into its own territory.

“Brother!”

“Snow, run. Get out of here!”

“Not without you!”

Snow White ignored her brother’s further protests as she fought with the lock on the door. She was determined to remove it, fearing what harm may come to him if he were left behind. With her escape she was sure Ravenna would be out for blood and Alexander could find himself caught in the crossfire.

The seconds felt like hours as she attempted to find the right key before Finn could right himself. Eventually, she heard the click of the lock before the door swung open to reveal her brother. No longer a boy, but a grown man who now towered over his younger half-sister. His clothing was tattered and filthy, much like her own.

“Hurry,” Snow urged. Her small hand reached for his, clasping tightly as they raced toward their freedom. Snow White could feel her heart pounding in her chest as the heavy footsteps of the guards were closing in on them. She only released his hand long enough to slide into the drainage system, relieved to hear the sound of her brother following close behind. The ocean waves had never sounded so sweet to her ears as she leapt to what she hoped would be their freedom. She didn’t see her brother again until they had both found their way to the beach. 

The two spoke only briefly, making sure that the other was well. What gave Snow White pause was the white stallion resting on the beach. His legs were tucked under him as he calmly waited by the water’s edge.

“What is he doing here?” Alexander asked.

Snow didn’t reply. She didn’t have an answer to that. She feared the sound of her voice could potentially scare the horse off when they needed him. She approached him with caution, placing her hand gently against his neck. Since they were children, Snow had always had a strange way with animals. She spent hours outside with the animals around the castle, caring for them and keeping them company. Alexander couldn’t muster up much surprise as he watched his sister keep the horse placated, and climb onto its back.

“Alexander, come on,” she said. She held out her hand to him to assist him onto the horse. Once he was securely behind her, she began to ride off toward the forest. She didn’t have a plan. All she knew for now was that they needed to get somewhere safe.

With Ravenna’s men hot on their heels, Snow White knew they couldn’t stop. Freedom was the only goal, but the way to obtain it was foggy. Suddenly, the horse began to fight against going further. She didn’t understand why, but she attempted to press forward. She was only able to make it a few more feet. As the horse collapsed under her, she let out a wordless choke. She and her brother fell to the ground with an graceless thud while their horse began to sink down into the mud. Snow reached for him only to be stopped by her brother’s hand, jerking her into the direction of the woods. She protested when she noticed the guards closing in, then realized that there was little time to help the horse back out. 

It wasn’t until the both of them had stepped inside of the Dark Forest that Ravenna’s soldiers relented. Snow felt herself clinging to her brother’s arm as he looked back, pausing after a moment. Snow tugged on his sleeve to keep him moving. They didn’t have time to stop now or else they’d most likely be killed.

“Wait,” Alexander said. “They’ve stopped.”

Snow turned to see for herself, watching as Ravenna’s men retreated, much to the siblings’ confusion. There was pure terror on some of the younger men’s faces. If the two siblings didn’t know better they would have sworn they’d seen some sort of demon standing before them. Even knowing they were turning back, Snow White didn’t feel safe staying where they were.

“We should keep moving. I doubt they’ve given up for good.” Snow pulled at his arm again to encourage him to walk with her. Her attention shifted to the forest around them now that the danger was less imminent. It was unlike anything she remembered -dark and rotten with a foul stench in the air. There was no vibrancy or life to anything. The plants were twisted and dying or already dead and the animals they so loved as children now scattered the ground, corpses. Ravenna’s darkness had engulfed every inch of the kingdom.

“Look at this place,” Alexander said. He had finally turned his attention to the woods, horrified. “This is nothing like I remember.”

“Is this Ravenna’s doing?” She wasn’t sure why she asked; the answer was already clear. 

“I’m certain of it.” 

Snow White could tell from her brother’s face he was as dismayed and confused as she was, appalled by what the world had become in their absence. She held tightly to his arm for support not only for herself but for him. The road ahead of them was a terrifying one, but one they would face together.

The minutes dragged on into hours as the two were left to their own devices in the Dark Forest. Every inch of it offered something awful lurking in the shadows. The two traveled mostly in silence; they didn’t know exactly where they were going, only that they needed to reach another city or kingdom for safety. 

“Snow, do you hear that?”

“What is it?” Snow White strained to listen. She heard the faint sound of footsteps in the distance, dead leaves crackling under their feet. “Ravenna’s men?”

Alexander shushed her and nudged her toward a hiding spot. In any other circumstance, she would have been annoyed at being hushed with no explanation. Here, she knew, speaking at the wrong moment could be a matter of life and death. She found a place to hide in the bushes and crouched behind her brother, who was sure to keep guard. It brought back memories of their childhood– Alexander vigilantly protecting his little sister from whatever dangers they had faced, real or imaginary. 

Often, she would be having a tea party with her nursemaid when her brother would burst into the room with his own fantasy. He would fight and play pretend while allowing her to continue with her tea party if she weren’t in the mood to join. She would happily play along and would even pretend her tea was poison when the mood struck her. In those days, being rescued by her older brother had been a lot more enchanting.

The footsteps drawing closer brought Snow back to the present. Alexander’s eyes focused on the man he saw through the trees. Snow swallowed as she watched the man passing by them, large and muscular from years of manual labor. His calloused hand gripped around an intimidating axe, his dirty blonde hair pulled back into a messy ponytail. She guessed from his clothing and demeanor that he was a huntsman of some kind who was familiar with these woods. Relief washed over the siblings as he headed past them without noticing them.

But it wasn’t to last. Snow White let out a gasp as she felt a strong hand grip her arm and jerk her toward him. Alexander whirled around in time to see the strange man holding his sister tightly. She shouted for him to release her as he pulled her closer.

“Let go of her!” Alexander made a move to attack but was kept at bay by Snow, reaching out her arm to push him back. She hoped reason would work faster than her brother’s rage and keep things from becoming too bloody.

“Help us.” She pleaded with not only her words, but her eyes as well. “Please. The Queen plans to kill me.”

“Sure she does,” the huntsman said. His voice was tainted with a mixture of disbelief and uncaring.

“She’s going to rip out my heart!”

The huntsman gave pause at that. He looked to Alexander looking for confirmation; Alexander nodded. “What she’s telling you is true. If you take her to the Queen she will be killed.”

“Quick work.” Finn, Ravenna’s brother, now stood before them. His voice sent a chill up their spines. “You found them both. You exceeded my expectations.”

Snow White struggled once more to escape, but the huntsman kept her in place. Alexander looked for some kind of weapon, unable to find anything of use in the darkened woods. The huntsman was able to keep the soldiers at bay without his help, to Alexander’s relief.

“What do you intend to do with her?” The huntsman asked.

Finn wasn’t going to answer that. Alexander and Snow White watched as the huntsman’s temper grew short, demanding what they had promised him. Neither of the royals were surprised by the fact that Ravenna had lied to the huntsman to get her way; it was in line with her cruel nature.

He demanded his wife be returned to him, and raised his axe to Snow White’s throat. Alexander didn’t flinch. While Snow White had a way with animals, Alexander had always been far better at reading people. Something in the huntsman’s voice and stance told him that the man was bluffing to get his end of the bargain. The huntsman’s heart was visibly shattered when Finn revealed the truth about Ravenna’s inability to bring the dead back to life, his voice filled with disgust that someone would ever believe Ravenna’s lies. 

“I want her back.” 

The huntsman’s words were heartbreaking. There was a pain and longing there that revealed the most vulnerable part of the huntsman’s heart for them to see. In a split second, the huntsman was fighting the men off with his axe. Alexander joined the fray and reached for the sword of one of the fallen men. With the two of them fighting and slashing their way through each soldier, the group fell before their feet in minutes. The huntsman was stronger, naturally, as Alexander had been trapped in a prison for years with an inadequate amount of food and no methods of training.

When only Finn was left standing, the huntsman headed straight for him. He used the pole and eye of his axe to land serious blows to Finn’s face and torso. The prince watched for only a moment before hurrying after his sister, not wanting to be separated. Snow White had already run toward safety, too panicked to realize Alexander had stayed behind. When she realized he was not behind her, she feared that Alexander would get himself hurt while the huntsman was well-equipped for battle.

Alexander didn’t get far, as he was pulled back by the huntsman. He was prepared to fight, balling his hand into a fist to take the first swing. The huntsman, momentarily caught off-guard, turned to yell at him.

“What are you doing?” The huntsman asked. “Who are you? Who was that woman and what does the Queen want with her? Why does she want her dead?”

“Is there anyone on this earth she doesn’t want dead?” Alexander paused when there was genuine confusion on the huntsman’s face. “You really don’t know?”

“No, should I?”

“What did she offer you?”

“What are you talking about?”

“She offered you something,” Alexander said. He watched as the huntsman wiped blood from his mouth. “Your wife? You said something about your wife.”

“You have no business talking about my wife.”

“The Queen lied–”

“That’s a lesson I’ve already learned.”

Alexander watched as the huntsman started to move away from him. “Wait, please. You know this forest?”

The huntsman didn’t answer. Rather, he gave the prince a look that questioned his intelligence. 

“My sister and I are in need of your help.”

“Your sister?”

“Yes, the one you were sent to hunt,” Alexander said. 

“Alexander?” Snow’s voice called from a distance.

“I’m here!” Alexander glanced in the direction her voice had come from, then turned back to the huntsman. “Please, help us?”

“Why should I?”

“Because if you help us, I will pay your weight in gold,” Alexander said. It was the only offer he could think to make. He couldn’t make the empty promises that Ravenna often made nor would he want to.

“Alexander?” Snow White was getting closer to where the two men stood.

“What do you say?”

The huntsman studied the other man momentarily, unsure of how he felt about making such a bargain. He studied the prince’s determined eyes, and got the feeling he would regret turning down the man’s offer.

He let out a weary sigh. “I’m tired of making false bargains.”

“My offer is real. My sister and I will be in your debt and will repay you.”

The huntsman made his decision just as Snow White entered the clearing. He agreed. However, he nearly changed his mind when Snow White’s small fist made contact with his cheek, unaware he was no longer her enemy. It took Alexander a few seconds to convince the young woman that the huntsman was no longer an enemy. Her brother gently explained the situation to her. She was distrustful of this new information and hesitated to take her brother’s word for it. If Alexander had not been so adamant, the huntsman would still be considered her foe.

“I will take you to Briar Rose.”

“What?” There was a confused lilt to Alexander’s voice at the huntman’s assertion.

“I don’t have time to chase after greenhorns such as yourselves,” the huntsman said. “Briar Rose will take care of you.”

“That’s impossible,” Snow White said. “Briar Rose was cursed with a never-ending sleep.”

The huntsman was good at giving looks that made you feel as though you had said the most ignorant thing that could ever be said. Alexander, nor Snow White, could say it was something they particularly liked.

“The curse was broken years ago.”

“She found her true love then?” Alexander asked.

The huntsman let out a laugh. It was deep and soothing, though Alexander knew it should have made him angry. And it almost did, except the sparkle in the other man’s eyes was too distracting.

“I wouldn’t say that,” the huntsman said. “Briar did not find true love, but she found an end to her curse. Only to wake up for Ravenna to take away her kingdom.”

Alexander and Snow White exchanged baffled glances. When they were children, they had heard of Princess Briar Rose of Udyana and how she had been cursed to die by a wicked fairy. She was saved from this fate when a good fairy was able to change the curse of death to one of a never-ending slumber. Queen Eleanor told her children that it was said the curse could only be lifted by true love’s kiss. Whenever their parents had to travel to visit the royal family of Udyana, they would sneak a peek at the princess who looked so peaceful. She was close to Snow White’s age, and Snow White often wondered if they would have been friends.

She wouldn’t have to wonder much longer. The huntsman, uninterested in helping them himself, lead them to a small home on the edge of the outside of the forest. It was nothing extravagant, fitting for a princess in hiding. The house was off-white but stained with dirt, and it had decorative half-timbering. The steeply pitched roof was covered in ruddy tiles, and smoke bellowed out of the massive chimney.

“I don’t have anything to give you now,” Alexander said. He turned to the huntsman with the assumption he was expecting pay. “If you come to me after we–”

“I’m not interested in your gold,” the huntsman said. “I brought you here so you wouldn’t be my problem any longer.”

“So you’re washing your hands of us completely.” Alexander sounded accusatory. Snow White didn’t quite understand when the huntsman wasn’t abandoning them in the forest but instead passing them onto someone else..

“I am,” the huntsman replied. He didn’t seem shaken by Alexander’s tone in the least. “You’ll be safer with her than you are with me.”

There wasn’t anything else to argue with him. Alexander pursed his lips, but followed the huntsman without another word. Snow White didn’t feel the need to kick the calming hornets’ nest and kept quiet. As much as Snow White loved her brother, she knew he could be slightly unreasonable at times.

The huntsman wasn’t going to waste time. He knocked on the door rather loudly with the poll of his axe and stood back to wait for her answer. When the door finally swung open, Snow White and Alexander saw the princess they remembered from childhood, but as a grown woman. Her skin was dark, her eyes brown. She still had long black hair, but it now reached past her waist and was tied into a neat braid. Snow White was taking in every detail in awe. The princess of Udyana dressed in an outfit more commonly seen on a man, black slacks and a dark green tunic. Suddenly, Snow White felt very self-conscious about the battered and soiled dress she wore.

“Princess Briar Rose,” Snow White said. “You’re awake.”

Briar Rose only laughed at the statement, more amused than insulted. Snow White bowed her head slightly in embarrassment, her face growing hot. She wanted to slink away from the other woman’s gaze.

“Very astute, this one,” Briar Rose said. She was speaking more to the Huntsman than Snow White. “Also, it’s Queen Briar Rose now. Ravenna took my kingdom, but she can’t take away my title. What brings all of you here?”

Alexander stepped forward. “Queen Briar Rose, I am Prince Alexander.”

Briar Rose’s expression told him he didn’t need to go much further. “Prince Alexander?” She asked, and then turned to look to Snow White again. “And you are…?”

“Yes,” Snow said. She didn’t need the rest of the question to know what it was.

“Eric.” Briar Rose was addressing the huntsman. “Do you know who these people are?”

The huntsman gave a shrug of his shoulders and shook his head slightly at the question, confused she would even ask him. He shifted his glance to the two strangers at that.

“Eric, she is the princess of Tabor! Snow White, the daughter of King Magnus.”

The Huntsman went silent. The information he was just given was heavy, and it was slowly wrapping itself around the entirety of his brain. He turned his head slightly to focus on Alexander.

“You never said anything about that,” he said.

“We didn’t exactly have time.” Alexander didn’t meet his gaze. “And you weren’t the most open or trustworthy.”

“I risked my life to save you and you call me untrustworthy?”

“You were the one that brought the risk to us in the first place.”

“That’s enough!” Snow White put an end to the fighting before it could get worse. The last thing they needed was one more enemy. He brother could bicker all he wanted when the danger had passed. “We need to focus on what’s important right now.”

Alexander let out a disapproving noise, but nodded. “She’s right.”

Snow White watched the two men to make sure they had finished. She returned her attention to Briar Rose. The other woman still looked rather amused by the sight of the infighting, keeping her arms crossed and a smirk on her face as she leaned against the doorframe.

“Queen Briar Rose of Udyana.” Snow White stood tall and spoke with all the royal dignity she could gather. “I know we are asking a lot of you, but will you help us defeat Ravenna and restore our family to the throne?”

Briar Rose looked about and stared off into the distance for a moment. Snow and Alexander could feel their hearts starting to sink at her hesitation. The fear she would reject them was becoming more real with each passing second.

“Of course I’ll help,” Briar Rose said, finally ending the agonizing silence. “We queens have to stick together, don’t we, Snow?”

Snow White smiled.


	3. Fight Like A Girl

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The dwarfs make their appearance.

“Your feet are too far apart.” 

Briar Rose had taken it upon herself to train Snow White while the huntsman worked with Alexander. After the huntsman learned of Snow’s true identity, he knew he couldn’t leave them, and instead he offered to train them in self-defense. Briar Rose suggested that he help Alexander, and smirked when the huntsman made his aggravation known.

Briar Rose and the huntsman– Eric, she had called him– scrounged up new outfits for the siblings to wear. Snow White was no longer in her old dress, but instead black pants and a cream shirt, along with a black vest with silver accents. She had her hair pulled back into a tight bun to keep it out of her eyes. 

Snow readjusted her stance, and Briar Rose accepted the change with a nod. The weight of the sword had caught her off-guard when Briar Rose handed it to her, and she took a moment to adjust. Once that hurdle was crossed, the next step was to learn how to use it effectively. Snow was fortunate enough to have something of an innate gift at swordsmanship.

“I’m a little jealous,” Briar Rose said. “My training never went as smoothly as this. You and Cinderella have quite the knack for this.”

“Who is Cinderella?”

Briar Rose laughed. “I never thought there’d be someone more behind the times than I am. Don’t worry about her right now. She has no bearing on your training.”

Snow found it impossible to pry answers out of the other woman. Briar Rose would only give half-hearted answers when Snow asked about how she broke the sleeping spell. All Briar Rose said was that she wasn’t the one who could take credit for it, but neither could any kiss. Anything else was to tell Snow that it was a story for another day and Ravenna was the more important task at hand.

“What else has been happening since I’ve been locked away?”

“Despair and tragedy,” Briar Rose said. “People growing more and more impoverished by the day, hoping for scraps to get by. Women resorting to marring their faces to protect themselves from Ravenna. The world has gone to shit since your alleged death.”

“She took your kingdom as well?”

“I’ve been in hiding since she set her sights on it.” Briar Rose reached over to readjust Snow White’s arms. “My parents were killed in her first attack and I was taken to safety. I ended up here, waiting.”

“Waiting?”

“For when she could be destroyed.” Briar Rose pointed to the attack dummy she’d concocted. It was a scarecrow’s body that had a watermelon for a head, sitting on a platform that Briar Rose could move with the tug of a rope. “Go for his neck.”

Snow gripped the handle of her sword and yelled as she ran for her target. She didn’t expect it to move; she completely missed the mark and nearly fell to the ground. She whirled around to look at Briar Rose who held the rope with a triumphant smirk on her face.

“What is it about swinging a sword at someone that makes everybody shout so much?” Briar Rose asked, tilting her head. “And never assume your enemy will be stationary, especially if you’re going to alert everyone around you by crying out your attack.”

“Let me try again.” 

Snow was determined to get this right. She had to regain her kingdom from Ravenna and take her place on the throne of Tabor. This wasn’t about her alone, but her people and now Briar Rose’s kingdom. The idea of impressing Briar Rose was in the back of her mind, but she tried to crush it; this wasn’t the time or place for that.

“You’re plucky,” Briar Rose said with a smirk. “I like that.”

Snow felt a blush creep along her cheeks as Briar Rose began to instruct her once again. If the other woman noticed her face turning red, she made no indication of it. Instead, she resumed her duties as Snow’s swordsmanship mentor.

Hours of training made Snow feel like her arms were about to turn to jelly. Relief washed over her when Briar Rose finally decided it was time for a break and excused herself before disappearing into the house to check on supper. Rather than follow, Snow went in search of her brother. She found him and the huntsman not much farther from where her training had taken place. 

They glanced at her, her brother giving a polite wave of his hand before the huntsman continued with his instructions. She found a rock to sit on as she watched the training. It had been so many years since she could really sit and watch her brother and it was surreal. They could only catch glimpses of one another in their prison cells, and during the escape she didn’t have time to take note of his physical changes. He was still thin, but his muscles much more defined now; he’d cleaned up earlier and shaved his beard.

“Didn’t they teach you archery in that palace of yours?” The huntsman laughed at Alexander’s attempts to shoot.

“I was trapped in a prison for a great deal of my life.” Alexander’s temper grew short. “It’s been many years since I’ve even seen an arrow.”

“It shows.”

Alexander shot him a glare before releasing another arrow. When it hit the bull’s eye, he gave the huntsman the a self-satisfied grin. Eric didn’t look impressed.

“Don’t get cocky,” Eric said. “When you hit all bull’s eyes, then you can celebrate.”

“You’re not the most encouraging trainer.”

“Encourage yourself.” Eric motioned for him to try again. “I won’t be there next to you in battle. I have my own fighting to do.”

“I didn’t expect you to be,” Alexander said. “But I didn’t think that meant you had to act like compliments are physically painful to you.”

“Shoot again. I’ll compliment you when I think you’ve earned it.”

Alexander reached for another arrow, scowling at Eric as he did. He shot the arrow off toward a second target, just barely missing the bull’s eye. He let out a disapproving grunt when Eric laughed.

“Like I said,” Eric said, “I’ll compliment you when I think you’ve earned it.” He turned to head back toward the house, muttering something about checking to see if supper was ready as he was starving. Alexander kept his eyes on the target as if he could will the arrow into the right spot with his mind.

Snow moved to stand next to her brother as the huntsman retreated. It had been so many years since she could stand next to him, something both of them had taken for granted during their childhood. She realized how grateful she needed to be for every moment she was able to spend with him now.

“You used to be the best at archery.” Alexander grinned at Snow for that remark. Teasing between the two of them was always harmless as they knew how far to push. When all you had to pass the time was talk through metal bars, you learned a lot about one another.

“Don’t you start on me, too.”

“He’s going to drive you mad, isn’t he?” Snow chuckled. 

“And he’ll enjoy every moment of it,” Alexander said. “Men like him are fortunate when they have a pretty face. No one would tolerate his behavior otherwise.”

“I think you’re doing much more than tolerating him.”

Alexander turned to give her a baffled look. “Pardon?”

“Don’t act like you don’t know what I mean.” Snow laughed. “You may not have had a crush on a boy for ages, but I still recognize it when I see it.”

“Snow.”

“I don’t disapprove. He’s very attractive.” Snow smirked. “He’d be a good match for you.”

Alexander didn’t reply for a moment. “How as training with Briar Rose?”

“Good.” Snow placed her hands on her hips. “She knows what she’s doing, but she’s not one for details on personal matters.”

“And you were teasing me.”

“What?”

“Nothing.” Alexander shook his head, and moved to retrieve his arrows. “We’ve missed a lot since they locked us away.”

“I noticed,” Snow said. “I don’t like not knowing what’s happened to my kingdom.”

He was quiet. “We’ll get it back, I promise.” He slung the bow over his shoulder. “And then we’ll have time to ask all the questions we want.”

Snow White nodded. “I’ve missed moments like this.”

“Yes, but if you remember, back in those days we didn’t have a care in the world.”

“We can pretend,” Snow said. “If only for a minute.” She and her brother exchanged a smile with one another. Once Ravenna was defeated, Snow would now have the duties of a queen. There would always be a worry or concern as their worry free childhood had been stripped from them too soon. All they had now were those moments where you could forget the world and pretend you were children once again before reality made itself known again.

“We should head back. I’m sure they’ll have supper ready shortly.” Alexander held out his arm to her for her to latch on to. It was a lot like when Snow’s father used to take her arm to escort her like a lady, and her brother was keeping the tradition. 

Eric had already found a seat at the table and glanced up when Snow and Alexander entered. Briar Rose was serving out portions of a thick brown stew with spinach. They took their seats and thanked her before the room fell quiet. The food was spicy and it wasn’t a dish either sibling was familiar with; Briar Rose explained it was a dish called goat saag. Snow occasionally stopped between bites to let her tongue recover from the tingling sensation overtaking her mouth.

“I think we need outside help,” Briar Rose said. She took another bite of goat meat that was floating around in her bowl. “We can’t take Ravenna’s army alone.”

“Who do you suggest we get?” Alexander asked. 

“I say we get Cinderella and her army.” Eric spoke through a mouthful of food. “I know they’ll be ready. They’ve kept Ravenna at bay from her own kingdom.”

“She’s a good choice, yeah,” Briar Rose said. “I was also thinking of the dwarfs.”

“No.” Eric’s tone was clipped as he shook his head. “They would be useless.”

“I’m afraid I don’t know who you’re talking about,” Alexander said. “Care to clue me in on just who Cinderella is.”

“New royalty.” Eric twirled his spoon around as he spoke. “Something about shoes? All I know is she can fight.”

“Your ability to tell a story is impressive,” Alexander said. “Makes me feel like I haven’t missed a thing.”

“Do you really need the woman’s history?” Eric asked. “She married a prince and she has an army. The end.”

“We can fight about this later.” Briar Rose cut in with annoyed sigh. “Let’s handle our fight about the dwarfs first.”

“I said no and that’s final.” Eric reached for his mead.

“I think we should ask for their help,” Snow said. “We need all the assistance we can get and if these dwarfs will help us, we should take advantage of that.”

“See?” Briar Rose smirked. “Queen Snow is on my side.”

“That’s only because she doesn’t know them.” Eric leaned his elbows against the table. “If she did, she’d be on my side.”

“It’s two to one,” Briar Rose said. “And the Prince doesn’t get a say because he doesn’t know who the dwarfs are.”

“Neither does Snow White!” Eric scoffed.

“Yeah, but she agreed with me.” Briar Rose grinned. “That’s why her vote counts. Tomorrow, we find the dwarfs!”

Eric muttered under his breath and shoved another spoonful of food into his mouth. His shoulders slumped ever so slightly in defeat. 

“ You two have known each other for a long time?” Alexander asked.

Briar Rose laughed. “Are fairies useless little monsters? We met back when Sarah was alive though.”

“Sarah?” Alexander glanced to Eric.

“My wife.” Eric’s eyes cut to Alexander. He studied the prince’s face for his reaction. Alexander raised his eyebrows.

“I’m very sorry for your loss.”

Eric turned away from Alexander with a quiet grunt. The awkwardness in the room was palpable.

Briar Rose was the only one brave enough to risk speaking again. “Anyway, to answer your question, we’ve known each other a long time. He’s like the brother I never wanted.”

“I’m going to turn in.” Eric pushed his bowl aside before getting to his feet. He disappeared up the stairwell to the room that had been prepared for him and Alexander.

“It’s a difficult subject for him,” Briar Rose said. She began to gather up dishes as she spoke. “He hasn’t really been the same since she died.”

“It must have been very hard for him,” Snow said.

“You two should go rest up, too.” Briar Rose glanced over at Snow. “It’ll be a long day of traveling tomorrow.”

Snow and Alexander nodded and said their goodnights before heading upstairs. There were only two bedrooms– Snow shared with Briar Rose. Snow stopped to watch her brother gently rap on Eric’s door before slipping inside. She could hear their voices through the oak door, but she couldn’t make out what they were saying. When she accepted that she wouldn’t be able to hear them, she slipped inside her room to dress into her nightclothes. The bed sitting next to the window was spacious, covered in powder blue blankets and down feather pillows. Snow happily curled up, falling asleep long before Briar Rose joined her.

Snow awoke the next morning to sunshine pouring in through the window. Waking up in a warm bed was preferable to the years of living in that dungeon. There was something cozy about Briar Rose’s home that Snow liked more than her childhood bed in the castle. She noticed the blankets and pillows beside her were rumpled; Briar Rose had finally come to bed, but had left long before Snow had woken up. She forced herself out of bed to dress and head downstairs where the others were already up and prepared for the trip.

Briar Rose was cheerful during the trip while Eric grunted in response to any questions directed at him. Snow walked alongside her brother, who stared at nothing in particular. She nudged him slightly to gain his attention.

“I heard you and Eric talking last night.”

“Oh?”

“What were you talking about?” Snow asked.

“Nothing really.”

“Nothing?

“We were sleeping in the same room,” Alexander said. “It’s only normal to speak to each other. I gave him my condolences and then said goodnight. Why are you being so nosy?”

“Because you never keep secrets from me.”

“I never had any to keep,” Alexander said. “You don’t get up to much in a prison cell.”

“You know what I meant.”

“I promise you, Snow, if we talked about anything interesting I would tell you.”

Snow was satisfied with that; she wasn’t sure exactly what she expected. Instead, she listened as Briar Rose explained the forest to them. Eric wasn’t in the right frame of mind to give out any advice for the moment and it was up to her to make sure the royal pair understood what surrounded them.

Snow hung on her every word, Briar Rose’s face expressive and movements vibrant. She illustrated every point with a wave of her hand or movement which got a giggle or two out of Snow. Briar Rose seemed to be focused on keeping Snow entertained more so than her brother, but Snow did hear Alexander chuckle as well.

Snow was distracted momentarily by the sound of Eric’s voice. He stood beside Alexander giving sarcastic commentary to Briar Rose’s speech. Snow noted he seemed to speak up whenever Briar Rose kept Alexander’s attention for too long. Snow would have paid more attention if Briar Rose hadn’t been such an entertaining lecturer. If Alexander noticed this, he showed no signs of it.

Briar Rose made the hours feel as if they passed by in minutes. She was interrupted when Eric, having walked ahead of the group, let out a startled yell as he was lifted into the air. Someone had set a trap that had him hanging from the treetops.

“Eric!” Alexander’s eyes widened with panic . Snow’s heart sunk down to her stomach as she prepared for further attack.

Both siblings were further stunned by the sound of Briar Rose’s laughter. She had doubled over with her hands on her stomach, completely unalarmed by the sight of Eric dangling in the air. Briar Rose had trouble catching her breath. Neither Snow nor Alexander knew what to make of this while Eric only shouted for them to help him down.

She continued laughing even as a group of dwarfs hurried out into the clearing from the trees. They stopped short at the sight of their captives. The men stood as high as Eric’s chest and were covered in dirt and grime. One of the men stepped forward. He had light brown hair and beard, and wore heavy leathers and a sword on his left hip. 

“Briar Rose!” His voice boomed. “What is the meaning of this?”

“Settle down, Beith,” Briar Rose said. She’d recovered from her laughing fit. “Can you get him down?”

“I don’t see why I should.” Beith’s tone wasn’t as jovial as Briar Rose’s. “Or why we shouldn’t kill him on the spot.”

“Don’t be such babies.” Briar Rose didn’t seem threatened, Eric thrashing about behind her. “I need your help.”

“While we might offer our services to you, we won’t offer them to him.”

“What about to her?” Briar Rose motioned toward Snow.

Beith turned to look at Snow and huffed with a shake of his head. “Why would we be interested in helping her?”

Before Briar Rose could answer, Snow stepped forward. “Because I am Snow White, the daughter of King Magnus and Queen Eleanor.”

“What she said.” Briar Rose motioned toward Snow.

Beith stepped closer to Snow, squinting as he stared. His eyes darted about to study her face as though he could tell if she was lying by that alone. After what felt like an eternity of staring, he stepped back.

“Briar Rose.” Beith didn’t turn his gaze away from Snow. “Is what she saying true?”

“If it wasn’t, I wouldn’t have brought her here,” Briar Rose said.

The tension slowly faded, and Beith turned to the other dwarfs to shout for one of them to cut Eric down. There was a dissatisfied grunt from the one who removed his sword to release Eric. The huntsman fell to the ground with an graceless thud with the air being knocked out of him.

“Eric, are you alright?” Alexander asked.

Eric took a moment to catch his breath. “I’m fine.” He reluctantly accepted Alexander’s help to get to his feet. Eric turned his glare toward the dwarfs once he was standing. 

Snow and Alexander were introduced to the dwarfs who now had warm smiles for them. Beith, their leader, stepped forward to give of the others’ names: Muir, Quert, Coll, Duir, Gort, Nion and Gus. Gus was the most anxious to approach Snow; he gave a bashful grin and a quick kiss to her knuckle. The animosity between the dwarfs and Eric was set aside in order for the dwarfs to dote upon Snow. Now that her true identity was out in the open, they agreed to assist her in battle.

It was growing dark and the dwarfs decided it was too dangerous for the group to continue traveling for the night. Beith felt a plan needed to be in place as well; it would be careless to go gallivanting off into the wilderness without a plan. Eric set to work on building a fire, not trusting the dwarfs to do it, to cook the wild rabbits Coll had caught and skinned for dinner earlier in the evening. The food was cooked and rationed out to the group for them to sit and enjoy, everyone starting up conversations amongst themselves.

“So.” Gort’s voice cut through the more lighthearted chattering in the group. “I thought Alexander was the younger sibling.”

“No,” Alexander said. “I’m older than my sister by a few years.”

“If you’re her older brother, why aren’t you the one next in line for the throne?” 

Alexander hesitated. That had always been a sensitive subject for him. He’d never known his mother intimately and although he felt loved by his remaining family, there were times he still felt like an outsider. While Magnus and Eleanor were kind to him and honest about his origins, people within the palace walls would gossip and joke about it when they believed the young prince couldn’t hear. Sometimes the most hurtful questions are the one born from innocent curiosity.

“My mother wasn’t Queen Eleanor.” Alexander gave him an uneasy smile. 

“You’re a bastard?” Gort gave a hearty laugh at that, many of the other dwarfs joining in. Snow felt her blood boil; she didn’t see what was so amusing about that.

“Leave him alone,” Eric said, his expression as cross as Snow’s, and Alexander turned to him in surprise. He hadn’t been expecting Eric to come to his defense. “With the skeletons you have locked away in your closet, you have no room to be throwing stones.”

A dead silence followed, the dwarfs’ reactions varying between regret and sulking from being scolded. It wasn’t unusual for people to be cruel toward bastard children, and the dwarfs weren’t accustomed to being reprimanded over it.

“Thank you, “Alexander said. Eric only grunted and waved it off. Alexander dropped the issue, but Snow knew he wouldn’t forget. When he felt indebted to another person, it was rarely something he could write off.

Isabelle Breckenridge. Snow hadn’t thought about Alexander’s mother in some time. She had passed away before Snow was born, but she’d been told about her father’s former lover. King Magnus never hid the past from his children, and couldn’t afford to. The outside world would never be as kind, especially when the children began asking why Alexander could never rightfully inherit the throne.

Isabelle’s story was unlike any Snow had heard before. The ones read to her before bed were typically stories of true undying love, but Isabelle was the first time she had heard of a love that slowly burned out like a dying ember. There had been no dragon to slay or evil curse to overcome for them to be together; it had ended with a love that died naturally.

“Well, if we’re done bothering the prince about his birth mother, we have more important business.” Briar Rose defused the tense situation. “We need to get an army. We only have so much time so we were either going to head to the Duke Hammond for help or Cinderella.”

“Cinderella,” Beith said. “We’ve worked with her before and we trust her.”

“That didn’t take much discussion.” Briar Rose chuckled and picked apart more of the rabbit’s meat. “Anyone object?”

No one spoke up against the idea, including Alexander or Snow. While they hoped to see William and his father again, they knew objecting to it would cause more fighting and strife. Snow reasoned it was for the best to keep their childhood friend out of danger as well. It helped that meeting Cinderella would quell her curiosity about the woman whose past had some odd connection to shoes.

“It looks like Cinderella it is.” Briar Rose nodded. “We head out at dawn.”

The conversation faded back into stories and discussion of unimportant events. If anyone was nervous about what the morning would bring, it didn’t show. Instead, the rest of the night was dedicated to merriment and rest. The morning would signal the beginning of war.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don’t actually know how to sword fight. It may show.
> 
> Also, Isabelle was inspired by La Belle Otero and Dorothea Jordan.


End file.
